Company change

Like a fisherman, waiting for his catch to pass exactly in front of his line, so companies are waiting to hoist their nets. Little matters that the dogs are barking madly because a meteorite is about to hit the earth. The important thing is to stay on the piece.

A perfect metaphor to talk about change, whether it be personal or business. Many companies are experiencing this condition by being completely blinded by their prey (the clients), while a storm rages outside that will forever changing the rules of the game.

It is an old habit, that of waiting. And it is an unconscious wait, because we think we do “more”, by stopping in the office longer than necessary just to be more productive and defeat the “crisis.” As Jason Fried says in his book Re-Work: “Workaholics aren’t heroes. They don’t save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is already home because she figured out a faster way to get things done”.

Therefore, it is not about doing more “things”, but doing the “right” things, that allow us to ride the change. In particular, the opening words of the film “Smilla’s Sense of Snow” is a perfect picture to represent the current crisis of “vision”:

focused on a small hole, waiting for a fish to pass, as the world is about to change.

Unaware of these upheavals means:

• looking for fish where others search for them

• doing things with outdated methods

• struggling to do more, rather than less and doing better

• ignoring the signs of change (dogs, barking is useless, it has always been the case ;-))

• letting the creative people and innovators leave possibly without any disturbance

If something remains of these companies after the economic tsunami, then it would be better for them to raise their eyes to heaven, because change never occurs under your feet. You need to be cosmopolitan, to seek your own “blue ocean” (and win without competing) where fishing takes place in the open sea, with the ability to perceive the signs of change on the horizon, with each passing day.

If big companies are unable to structure themselves in a “flexible” way (the oxymoron is a must), they will agree on the idea that the small will win: the fast, the flexible and still with a heart that beats. For all the others, there is nothing else left to do except embrace change.

“… and in case I don’t see ya…

good afternoon, good evening and good night!”…

(The Truman Show)

Virginio